Mikko Helander, CEO of Metsä Board (formerly M-real), Europe’s leading producer of fresh forest fibre cartonboards, the world’s leading manufacturer of coated white-top kraftliners and a major paper supplier, spoke at Drupa (4th May 2012) about the company’s strategy to refocus on paperboard - the sustainable and lightweight packaging material.

“Metsä Board has undergone significant structural changes, transforming from a paper company to a profitable paperboard company. We look forward to a future based on sustainable products, modernised mills and improved services,” said Mikko Helander.

“Packaging is one of the biggest businesses in the world, and there is major growth potential for our paperboards in many markets,” Mikko Helander added. “Following the successful rebuild at our Ӓänekoski mill, Metsä Board’s cartonboard investment programme 2011-2012 has met one of its key aims - increased capacity. We are now working towards ‘Super Productivity’ in a systematic programme to make our productivity the best in the industry.”

Metsä Board has increased its cartonboard capacity by 150,000 tpa to 935,000 tpa by investment at three cartonboard mills in Finland. The Metsä Board Simpele rebuild was completed June 2011, Kyro in November 2011 and Ӓänekoski in May 2012. Refocusing of the Kemi linerboard mill’s production to coated grades after investment made in 2011 has been a success. Metsä Board’s state-of-the-art paperboard capacity, including the Kemi mill, today totals 1.31 million tpa.

Mikko Helander emphasised that Metsä Board is committed to the development of its remaining paper business: “Our paper production is now focused on Husum, in Sweden, Europe’s largest fine paper and pulp integrate with a capacity of over 1.5 million tpa. We are European market leaders in wallpaper base paper, made at the Kyro mill in Finland, and Chromolux cast coated papers and boards, produced at Gohrsmühle in Germany.”

Pasi Piiparinen, newly-appointed SVP, Head of Paperboard, Metsä Board, talked about future developments: “It is not only increased capacity that counts. We continue to invest in energy efficiency, decreasing our CO2 emissions and reducing the use of energy derived from fossil fuels. We are investing in a new bio power plant at our Kyro mill site in Hämeenkyrӧ, Finland, which will use discarded wood as fuel.”

Metsä Board continues work on product and service development. For example, sheeting operations at the Äänekoski board mill and Gohrsmühle site will further improve its service portfolio and the availability of sheeted cartonboard.

Metsä Board’s new R&D Centre will research ways of supporting customers in the packaging industry as well as applications for new raw materials from forest fibres, and study how its products can match rapidly-evolving printing and converting technologies.

“We maintain a dialogue with customers as to how best we can develop our products to meet their needs and address specific concerns,” adds Pasi Piiparinen. “We are confident this will help uphold Metsä Board’s leadership in paperboard development into the future.

“Sustainability is at the heart of our business and increasingly consumers appreciate the benefits of our fresh forest fibre paperboards, knowing they are made from a renewable resource that comes from responsibly managed forests, and that they are recyclable. All our raw materials can be traced back to their source. Fresh forest fibres enable the production of light but stiff boards, in which we have invested significantly over many years, and are strong, clean and pure, making them ideal for use in contact with food or other sensitive products,” Pasi Piiparinen concluded.

Metsä Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products are part of people’s everyday life and promote sustainable well-being. Metsä Group produces high-quality products mainly from renewable Nordic wood. The Group’s business areas are tissue and cooking papers, board and paper, pulp, wood products as well as wood supply. Metsä Group’s sales totalled EUR 5.3 billion in 2011, and it employs approximately 12,500 people. The Group is present in some 30 countries.

Metsä Board supports its customers’ businesses by providing high-performance paperboards and quality papers for consumer and retail packaging, graphics and office end-uses. Together with its customers and partners, Metsä Board develops products and services for demanding end uses. The company’s paperboard is mainly used for the packaging of beautycare and healthcare products, foods, cigarettes, and consumer durables as well as graphics. Paper is mainly used for office papers as well as wallcoverings and other speciality end uses.

Metsä Board’s business areas are Paperboard, and Paper and Pulp.

Metsä Board is headquartered in Finland. In 2011, the company’s sales totalled EUR 2.5 billion, and it has approximately 4,000 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.

About Us

Metsä Boardwww.metsaboard.com
Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards including folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners. Our lightweight paperboards are developed to provide better, safer and more sustainable solutions for consumer goods as well as retail-ready and food service applications. We work together with our customers on a global scale to innovate solutions for better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in sustainably managed northern forests.
The global sales network of Metsä Board supports customers worldwide, including brand owners, retailers, converters and merchants. In 2017, the company’s sales totalled EUR 1.8 billion, and it has approximately 2,350 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.